Auburn basketball coach Bruce Pearl greets students prior to his introductory press conference in the Auburn Arena on March 18. / John Reed, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

by Scott Gleeson, USA TODAY Sports

The college basketball coaching carousel never fails to intrigue. But this off-season the normal script - coaches with rising profiles taking jobs at bigger programs - seemed to take on a different theme.

That's because the coaching names this year were arguably bigger than the programs. Such was the case with Buzz Williams, who darted from Marquette to Virginia Tech. The same could be said for Frank Haith leaving Missouri for Tulsa. And well-established Bruce Pearl and Kelvin Sampson are returning to the NCAA after hiatuses, both taking over programs in need of a face-lift.

1. Bruce Pearl, Auburn: Despite being fired by Tennessee and being hit with a show-cause penalty by the NCAA after he lied to investigators, Pearl managed to keep his popularity (more than 36,000 Tennessee fans signed an online petition to bring back Pearl) and re-enter the coaching ranks with a program in a power conference.

The list of challenges he faces starts with the penalty that prohibits Pearl from contacting recruits until August. Pearl's coaching résumé (he reached the NCAA tournament every season at Tennessee) is an asset, but his charismatic personality is what Auburn needs to fill seats at a new arena and ultimately revitalize an underachieving program that plays in the deep dark shadow of the football team. Pearl already has begun the turnaround, bringing in impact transfer players such as Antoine Mason, the country's leading scorer last season at Niagara.

2. Kelvin Sampson, Houston: Much like Pearl, Sampson was able to land a coaching job despite a checkered history with the NCAA that led to a five-year show-cause penalty. He'll take over a Houston team trying to become a contender in the rigorous AAC. The former Oklahoma and Indiana coach has a great pedigree, including a Final Four appearance in 2002. But getting Houston back on the national radar won't be easy. The Cougars are 0-4 in the NCAA tournament since the Phi Slama Jama days.

3. Buzz Williams, Virginia Tech: Williams bolting Marquette to take over a program that has only reached one NCAA tournament since 1996 was one of the most shocking moves of the entire off-season. Marquette didn't have an athletic director or president, and Williams insinuated Tech provided a clearer picture into the future, along with some lucrative incentives. That being said, Williams still has his work cut out for him. His success at Marquette - making the NCAA tournament in five of six seasons, two Sweet 16 appearances and an Elite Eight finish last year - came after taking over a program that Tom Crean helped revive. Now Williams is tasked with turning the Hokies into contenders in an ACC that features Duke, North Carolina, Syracuse and now Louisville.

4. Cuonzo Martin, California: Job security was never strong for Martin at Tennessee, so following a Sweet 16 appearance with the Vols, his move to replace retired coach Mike Montgomery at Cal made complete sense. Though Martin has proven himself at Missouri State and Tennessee - gradually improving those programs each year - now he'll face new challenges that include recruiting on the West Coast and competing in a deep Pac-12.

5. Danny Manning, Wake Forest: Manning piloted Tulsa to Conference USA regular season and tournament titles last season, riding that momentum to take over at Wake Forest. He's taking on another rebuilding project for an ACC school trying to keep up with the Dukes and North Carolinas of the world. The Demon Deacons haven't been to the NCAA tournament since 2010 and had three consecutive losing seasons under Jeff Bzdelik. With the team's core returning in 2014-15, Manning will have a chance to get off on the right foot.